Abstract

Background: Lower inhibitory control has been shown to associate with greater risk for obesity in adolescence. On average, females have moderately higher rates of behavioral inhibitory control than males. These difference in inhibitory control across sex may influence overeating and development of obesity. This study examined whether sleep duration and sleep quality are associated with food-related inhibitory control and whether this association is moderated by biological sex. Methods: A total of 59 emerging adults ages 18 to 25 (37 males, 22 females) who had a BMI within the overweight or obese categories (BMI ≥25) completed self-report measures of eating and sleep behavior. Participants completed a Go/NoGo behavioral task to evaluate their inhibitory control when presented with images of high- and low-calorie foods. Results: In general, our hypotheses regarding sex differences were not supported by this study. We did not find a significant association between sleep duration and food-related inhibitory control, nor did we find a significant association between sleep quality and inhibitory control. We did find that poorer sleep quality was associated with greater loss of control eating (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that sleep quality has notable impacts on food-related inhibitory control. The findings from our study could be utilized in future research towards understanding the complex relationship between sleep duration and quality, inhibitory control, and eating behaviors.

Degree

MS

College and Department

Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Psychology

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2024-05-08

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd13233

Keywords

eating, obesity, sleep, sex differences, and inhibitory control

Language

english

Download

Share

COinS